Marn: A Cultural Celebration in Hotel Amenities

Preserving Tainan's Heritage through Innovative Design

The team's inspiration for Marn came from the city's cultural heritage, specifically its festive snacks. The designers transformed the images of these snacks into a set of hotel amenities, intending to spread Tainan's cultural heritage worldwide. The name Marn, which means fulfillment in Chinese culture, reflects the project's goal of preserving and promoting local traditions.

Marn's uniqueness lies in its cultural inspiration and the transformation of traditional festive snacks into practical hotel amenities. The turtle-shaped rice cake became a hand soap and soap dish, the mung bean cake was transformed into toiletries, the tang yuan sweet dumpling was reimagined as hand cream, and the steamed bun and Tainan brown sugar bun cake were turned into a tea set. All these items were handcrafted in white ceramic, making them look identical to the original festive snacks.

The project, which began in September 2017 in Tainan, was estimated to finish in March 2018, with its first appearance at the Taiwan Young Designers' Exhibition (YODEX) in May 2018. The design process involved a culture study and morphological analysis, market survey, target user analysis, and the use of tools like Solidworks, Sketch-Up, and 3D Printing. The production method included pinching pottery, glazing, and kiln formation.

One of the main challenges the team faced was creating a set of amenities that were not only derived from local culture festive snacks but also identical to them. The team managed to overcome this challenge, creating products that looked like the real snacks. The project was awarded Silver in A' Bakeware, Tableware, Drinkware and Cookware Design Award in 2018, a testament to its creativity and innovation.

In conclusion, Marn is a unique project that successfully combines design, innovation, and cultural heritage. It serves as an example of how everyday items, like hotel amenities, can be used as platforms to promote local culture and traditions. The project not only preserves Tainan's cultural heritage but also presents it to a global audience in an engaging and innovative way.